Part Four:
Bejaan dil ko
This lifeless heart
Bejaan dil ko tere ishq ne zinda kiya
This lifeless heart was awoken by your love
Phir tere ishq ne hi iss dil ko tabah kiya
And then it was your love that made it distraught
Tadap tadap ke Is dil se aah nikalti rahi hai
From the tortured heart came deep sighs as it pined for love
Mujhko saza di pyaar ki aisa kya gunaah kiya
I was given a punishment for falling in love. Was that a crime?
To lut gaye haan lut gaye
So I was robbed
To lut gaye hum teri mohabbat mein
So I was robbed of everything in your love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_XDwH606c
Viplav slammed his phone in a rage in his hotel room. He had just been on the phone with a private investigator he had hired to determine Dhani's whereabouts in Mumbai. Three days had passed and there was still no word on Dhani or the other ladies in white. It was as if the entire universe was conspiring against him from finding his wife. His patience was running thin as the clock kept ticking. The anticipation of being with his darling once again was more than he could handle. His heart had been fluttering since he had seen her that day on the road in Juhu. He felt butterflies in his stomach every time he closed his eyes and envisioned his Dhani in that peach dress. He had always been attracted to Dhani's beauty and simplicity in white, but seeing her in this new form was making his heart do somersaults in passion. He slumped in a chair and massaged his forehead thinking of what he could possibly do next in his search. He thought of an idea quickly and called his driver to meet him at the entrance of his hotel. Viplav grabbed his phone and other essentials and rushed out to the elevator on his floor. He was certain the entire safed gang was together somewhere in this city. But, where? He hurried out of the elevator and almost ran to the black SUV waiting for him outside. He got into the backseat and promptly instructed his driver to take him to that very same spot in Juhu. The sun was shining bright forcing him to instantly shield his eyes with his black Ray-Ban wayfarers. In the past five years, Viplav had also changed quite a bit in appearance. He had become even more handsome with time and drew female attention where ever he went. His hair had been cut short and he usually kept it parted to the side and gelled. He sat in the backseat wearing a light gray blazer over a black t-shirt and dark blue slim jeans. Black leather sneakers brought the whole ensemble together giving him a casual yet polished look. Viplav exited from the SUV and walked to the same spot on the road. He studied his surroundings for a glimpse of Dhani, but he couldn't see her, Rajlaxmi, or Suvarna anywhere. He put his hand to his mouth and squeezed his eyebrows in concentration. He walked a bit further up the road to where the toy store was and noticed a tiny damsel standing outside the glass windows staring at a doll. His mood immediately brightened and he felt his lips curving upwards in a smile. His eyes sparkled in admiration once again. He strolled up to the little angel from behind and called out, "Shikayti Pudiya!". Vidha turned to look back in his direction. "Rakshas, what are you doing here?" she asked looking up at him. Viplav looked away in amusement for a brief moment. He looked back in awe at the little princess in front of him and knelt down to look into her eyes. She crossed her arms across her chest waiting for him to speak. "Is Shikayti Pudiya still upset?" he wondered. "My name is Vidha. I'm no pudiya wudiya." countered Vidha waving her hand in the negative. Viplav grinned hearing her name. "And who am I? Rakshas?" he asked tickled by her answer. "It's okay. You can call me Rakshas if you'd like." he beamed with joy. Vidha nodded her head cutely and turned her attention back to the doll in front of her. Viplav observed her silently before tapping her on her shoulder. "What are you looking at, Shikayti Pudiya?" he asked intrigued by her concentration. "Do you see that doll with the blue dress and brown boots? That's an American doll. She has really long hair that I could play with for hours. I could ask my mumma to tie her hair in a braid for me. She even has other clothes and shoes and purses for sale" said Vidha and pointed in the direction of the apparel and accessories. "Oh!" replied Viplav pretending to nod his head in understanding. He looked at her bright eyes, cute nose, and rosy cheeks as she spoke in earnestness about the doll. He had never seen a girl this adorable before. Viplav pointed to a pair of jeans for the doll and asked, "Wouldn't you like those for your doll?" Vidha scrunched her nose in disapproval at his suggestion and shook her head. "Why not?" asked Viplav holding in his laughter. "Don't you know little girls only look very pretty in dresses? Jeans are for boys." she said astounded by his question. "I'm sure you've seen a pretty little girl in a dress. Maybe she's wearing a red dress, black sandals, and has long wavy hair?" queried Vidha with a twinkle in her eyes. Viplav chuckled silently hearing her describe herself. He pinched her nosed lovingly and said, "I think I know a very pretty mademoiselle who fits that description. I like calling her Shikayti Pudiya." He watched as the prettiest smile formed on Vidha's face. Her smile was so contagious it compelled him to smile back. "Where is your mumma?" Viplav asked inquisitively. "That's my Ayi and Mumma's boutique." said Vidha pointing to the retail space next to the ice cream parlour. Viplav looked at the glass showroom and then up at the banner that read Mahi T Couture in large gold letters. "My mumma's busy there all day and has no time to play with me." Vidha whined with a pout on her face. Viplav chortled seeing her pout and fondly tousled the tiny drama queen's hair. Viplav suddenly thought of something and a jovial expression manifested on his face as he looked up at Vidha. "Would you like to take a selfie with me?" asked Viplav. Vidha looked up and put her index finger on her cheek deep in thought. "Okay." replied Vidha after pondering over his request. "Thank you!' acknowledged Viplav in merriment. He held out his phone and counted, "Okay, 1...2...3" He looked at Vidha and faced the camera on 3 with a bright smile. He clicked his camera capturing the moment forever on his phone and in his heart. He handed Vidha the phone and showed her the image. He watched her with a mischievous smirk as she observed herself in the picture. "It's come out quite nice." she nodded her head in approval. Viplav pinched her cheek charmed by her lovable gestures. "Vidha!" called out an attractive lady in shoulder length hair, a white sleeveless dress, and a turquoise statement necklace. He had noticed the same lady giving instructions to a worker the entire time he had been conversing with Vidha. "Ayi!" uttered Vidha in enthusiasm and ran to hold her hand. "Should we get going? I think Nani's waiting for us." asked Mahi as she bent down and lovingly stroked her hair. Vidha nodded her head in agreement and turned back to wave to Viplav before Mahi helped her into her car. Viplav waved back at the little princess with adoration and watched the car zoom off into the horizon.
Viplav turned his attention back to the display in front of the store and headed inside. Minutes later, he stepped outside with a large gift bag. He thought of Vidha and her precious banter with a lopsided grin. He waited for the traffic to clear before crossing the street over to where the boutique was situated. He hummed the tune to Itni Si Baat Hain as he waited. He marveled at how uplifted he felt being in Vidha's company. Moments before he had been immensely frustrated that his search had still been inconclusive. Dhani was the last one left inside the boutique that afternoon. Rajlaxmi and Suvarna had both left two hours ago. Mahi had been swamped in her preparations for a business trip to Rajasthan and had recently departed for Mahim with Vidha. Dhani had just finished setting up their new display with Mahi's designs. She stood back and admired the perfected exhibit. She thought of restoring the supplies she had used in the storage room and closing up. She was in the midst of sorting the storage when she heard the bell ring indicating that someone had entered inside the boutique. "I'll be out in a minute." she called out to a prospective customer. Viplav had been looking around the boutique commending the clothing when he heard her voice. His eyes bulged as he stopped dead in his tracks. The lines on his forehead became more pronounced as he recognized her voice. He could feel his heart pulsing in his ears as his throat became dry. Was she really here? His hands had turned so cold they almost felt like ice. Dhani looked at her reflection in the mirror at the back of the boutique ensuring that she was presentable. She had worn a long silk olive green v-neck tunic with rolled sleeves on black skinny jeans with leopard print pointed toe shoes. She had left her hair down and straight that day. She adjusted the gold chain bracelet on her wrist and walked out towards the front of the store. She saw a tall man standing with her back to her. She felt a sudden surge of uneasiness as her heart began to palpate. Her muscles began to tense in anticipation of this stranger. She took deep breaths to calm her rapid heart beat and rectify her mien. "Can I help you?" she blurted out to the stranger.
Viplav turned to face Dhani for what seemed like the first time in eternity. Dhani gasped seeing Viplav's face and turned as pale as a ghost. Her eyes filled with tears as her hands and feet with numb from shock. She quickly looked away. Viplav stared at Dhani with devotion and yearning. He felt as smitten by her as he did that day on the ghat. He smiled with relief on having finally found her and took slow steady steps in her direction. He paused before her for a second gathering his courage to touch her once again. His hand shook as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Dhani instantly shut her eyes on feeling his touch. She felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest that day. Viplav slowly turned her around so that he could face her. Dhani looked everywhere but at he. She stepped away from him overwhelmed by emotion and strife. He looked at her tenderly and placed both his hands on her arms gazing deeply into her eyes. Dhani's tears spilled from her eyes as she silently beheld him. "I found you. I finally found you, Dhani." Viplav whispered. He smiled gleefully as the tears fell one after the other deluging his face. "Thank god!" he mouthed between snivels and pulled her into a tight embrace. He wrapped both arms around her hugging her with all his might gratified that he had finally found his wife. Dhani retained her arms to her sides and whimpered in his embrace. The tension she was feeling was more than visible on her face. She closed her eyes and let her tears flow savouring the intensity of being in his arms once again. He leaned his chin on her shoulder and caressed her back. He leaned back, stared into her brown eyes, and softly pecked her lips. Dhani roused from her trance and pushed Viplav with all her might. He looked at her puzzled noticing she looked anxious and was trying to avoid eye contact.
"What's wrong, Dhani?" he asked with the utmost concern. He immediately took her face in both hands and stepped closer. He arched forward peering directly into her eyes searching for love and acceptance. "Dhani, I'm Viplav. Your Viplav. Am I dreaming..?" he mumbled in befuddlement. She looked down instantly avoiding his eyes and his questions. He drew her face up to meet his and urgently asked, "Dhani, it's been five years. Where have you been all this time?" Dhani looked up at him almost nauseous by his queries. Viplav gathered her face once again and cried, "I never lost faith. I never lost faith that my Dhani would come back to me." He grabbed both her hands in his own and lured her nearer. Dhani grew even more fidgety thinking of a way to pull out of his grasp. The realty of having lived without his wife for five years hit Viplav like a ton of bricks. "What are you doing here in Mumbai, Dhani? I've pined for you for five years." his voice trembled. "Let go of my hand!" demanded Dhani looking Viplav straight in the eye with a grim expression. "What?" asked Viplav in disbelief. He held onto her hands even tighter waiting for her to speak. "I said let go of me!" jolted Dhani in a forceful manner. She tried to disentangle her hands from his, but she was no match for his strength. "What are you saying?" he asked startled by her behaviour. "We're no longer husband and wife." replied Dhani with a grimace. She looked away to control her tears from spilling further. Viplav froze in shock at her statement. Viplav grasped her face again as tears poured from his eyes. "Dhani, don't do this. I'll die!" he sobbed. "I've survived only because of your love." He bore into her eyes stressing each word from deep within his heart. Her eyes spit fire as she looked up to him. "Those were your words, Viplav. Do you remember that day when you broke your relationship with me? What did you say? As of today our relationship is no more. We're no longer husband and wife. Standing here, I've come to the conclusion that marrying you was the biggest mistake I've made in life." Her words tore through his heart as he thought about that unfaithful day. He shut his eyes tight disgraced by the accusation in her eyes. He gripped Dhani's hands between his own fearing to meet her glare. He didn't possess the audacity to meet her eyes. "I'm so sorry for all of the pain that I've caused you and all of the mistakes I've made. I never ever should have raised my hand on you. I was a fool to do the unthinkable. Never should I have uttered such sinful words about our marriage. I was a jerk to say the unfathomable. I regret everything, Dhani. I regret my wrongdoings more than I could ever express in words." Dhani yanked away from him furious at his proclamation. Viplav concealed his gaze in repentance for the torment he had put her through. His tears kept falling as she turned her back to him in resentment. She turned to face him as the embodiment of rage. "Do you think I'm made of stone, Viplav? Do you think I don't feel pain? Do you think your afflictions have had no ramifications on me?" she asked fiercely. "When I told you I loved you I meant it, Viplav. You were the center of my world. Every part of my life began with you and ended on you. You weren't just my love; you were my soulmate, my support, my friend, my confidante, and my guardian. When I married you, I vowed to be your wife for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until my very last breath. Those vows were the sole purpose of my existence, Viplav. Most of all, I trusted you more than I trusted myself. It wasn't easy for this widow to accept the tornado of colours you brought in her life. She did and she only did for you. I did everything I possibly could to make you happy, Viplav." Viplav walked towards her and clasped her face crying. "I'm sorry, Dhani! Forgive me!" he weeped staring shamefully into the windows of her soul. "You changed, Viplav. Where was the man that I had fallen in love with who had promised to protect me from all of Benares? Where was the man who had been my anchor more times than I could possibly count? When did your love end, Vipav? Your mother treated me worse than filth. I never complained. I thought one day I would win her over with my love. I suffered through all of her abuse both verbal and physical because I gave her the same respect I gave my own mother. You silently watched and came to comfort me in our bedroom behind closed doors. When I came to you with the truth about your grandfather, you didn't give me one opportunity to justify my stance. Not one. You completely shut me out unwilling to listen to one word. Viplav, did I ever lie to you that I would make such a false claim that too about the person who you respected most in this world. You broke our marriage like a piece of string, yet I still held on to hope." Dhani shook in anger as she faced the demons of her past. She had made her resolve that she would stand tall to the one person that had broken her heart beyond repair. Viplav stood aghast in front of her at a loss of words. "But you refused my child's existence! You denied my child your name!" Dhani bellowed at the top of her lungs through her tears. "How could you, Viplav? How could you do that to my daughter?" Dhani lurched. Viplav felt the ground move from under his feet. His mind spun in circles at her allegations and he swayed from shock. He caught hold of the wall to preserve his balance as his mind struggled to accept her revelation. He had a daughter? He stared at Dhani shellshocked. His mind was so jumbled, he couldn't articulate his words. Viplav gathered his clout and pulled Dhani towards him. He held her face and gaped directly into her eyes. "Daughter?" he asked flabbergasted. Dhani jostled herself from out of his hold. His pantomime infuriated her to no end. A mental image flashed before his eyes of his Shikayti Pudiya. He recalled her saying that her mother was constantly occupied in the boutique. A mental slideshow of their encounters played in his mind - their first meeting in the ice cream parlour, her calling him rakshas, her twinkling eyes, her cute laugh, their friendship, and the image of them together on his phone. He put the pieces of the puzzle together. Vidha, Viplav and Dhani's Vidha. The realization hit him full force that Vidha was his own. "Vidha!" he breathed astonished by his epiphany. "Why didn't you tell me about her, Dhani? Why did you keep her away from me all these years?" he pleaded urging her for answers. He felt as if he was going to collapse on the floor from trepidation. Dhani scrutinized Viplav as he made his discovery about her daughter. She thought back to the first time Vidhu had first mentioned her endeared Rakshas Uncle and closed her eyes in sorrow. "You're despicable, VIplav! First, you rebuffed my child's existence. Then, you tore my letter to shreds in your rejection. You dismissed me when I pleaded with you to listen to me. Now, you're asking me why I've kept my daughter away from you? You have gall!" she shrieked in torment. "Listen to me, Viplav Tripathi! Vidha is my daughter and only my daughter!" she pointed to herself glaring him in the eye. "You gave up on your right the day you denounced me and your child in front of the Ganges!" She pulled his collar hysterically boring her eyes into his before propelling him away. Viplav was traumatized by her demeanour and weeped uncontrollably. He held Dhani's arm and forced her to look up at him. "Dhani, I never received any letter from you. I swear to you I didn't! I made a huge mistake that day in the temple. I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I should've never prodded you away, but I was blinded by my anger..." he voice trailed off. Dhani was weary of his deceit and oblivousness. "I was nothing but an impulsion to you. When you had your fill, you abandoned me altogether. Why have you come looking for me now, Viplav? Are your needs not being met?" Viplav stumbled back against the wall hearing her insinuation. "You're making a mockery of my love!" Viplav yelled through clenched teeth outraged by her tenacity and antagonism. "You don't deserve to be loved, Viplav Tripathi. You're not capable of reciprocating that love back." Dhani shot back unintimidated by his chagrin. Viplav stood benumbed from head to toe by her deposition. He had lost his ability to vocalize his perturbation seeing his wife's hostility. His eyes had turned bloodshot from the tears he had shed. Dhani had reached the confines of her sufferance reliving the misery she had been put through five years ago. As much as it distressed her to see him in tears, she couldn't endure the site of Viplav any further. She inhaled deeply trying to soothe her nerves so that she could put an end to their confrontation. "This is private property, Mr. Tripathi. Being a lawyer, I'm sure you're aware of my legal right to evict you for trespassing. If you want to avoid a commotion involving the police, I suggest you see yourself out. The door is that way." she said pointing towards the exit. Viplav looked at her tearful one last time before he converged his stamina to walk out of the glass doors of the boutique. Dhani fell to the floor weeping at her kismet unable to repress her tears any longer.
Naa ji sake yaha naa mar sake yahaan
I can neither live nor die here
Hasne ki bat chhodo naa ro sake yahaan
Forget laughing I can't even cry here
Toh jaaye hum kahaan
So where shall I go
Yeh dard ki aahein judaa hui raahein
These sighs of pain have separated our roads
Bhula denge tumko sanam dheere dheere
I will forget you slowly
Mohabbat ke sare sitam dheere dheere
Along with all of the atrocities of love slowly
Abhi naaz hai tute dil ko wafa pai
Even now my broken heart takes pride in believing
Ke tootenge sare bharam dheere dheere
That I will dispel all of my doubts slowly
Bhula denge tumko sanam dheere dheere
I will forget you slowly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q2YA5_sOZY
Viplav wandered aimlessly on the road in a haze invulnerable to his surroundings. His life bore no existence without Dhani and her love. He had been deprived of his daughter's presence in his life due to his own temper and mistakes. The daughter he had longed for even before marrying Dhani. He thought back to all of the conversations he had once had with Dhani about their children and how he envisioned them. He had always said his daughter would be beautiful just like her mother, however she would be identical to him in nature. He smiled through tears thinking of his precious angel who had captured his heart on their first encounter. In the blink of an eye, he had lost all that mattered to him the most in the universe. He felt as if he had died a thousand deaths. Viplav found himself standing in front of the shoreline looking out to the ocean. He stared at the waves that came and went making ripples in the vast blue. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder in the midst of his heartache. Viplav looked back towards the person standing behind him. He stood vis-a-vis to someone he hadn't seen in several years. He rested his head on Vidhaan's shoulder and sobbed like a child in his warm embrace. Nowhere else could he seek the same consolation other than his older brother's arms.
Edited by ~DaZZ|ing~ - 7 years ago
CID
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
